Keenan Weighs Candidates For Captain

SAN ANTONIO — When Mike Keenan became the Panthers' coach in December 2001, he eliminated the captaincy shared by Pavel Bure and Paul Laus.

Last season, Keenan again didn't name a captain, opting to have three assistant captains -- Olli Jokinen, Viktor Kozlov and Sandis Ozolinsh. Marcus Nilson got the third "A" when Ozolinsh was traded.

But as Keenan enters his third season, he is contemplating naming a captain.

"I haven't spent much time thinking about it, but after we cut down the players and see how they come together we'll make a decision," Keenan said. "We have another couple weeks yet."

If Keenan chooses to reinstate the captaincy, center Olli Jokinen and defenseman Lyle Odelein are possibilities, while Nilson, Kozlov, Valeri Bure and Eric Messier would likely be contenders for the second "A."

"If there's a person who we feel would be a good captain and there's a person there that we feel can work with the group and take on that role, then we'll make that decision," Keenan said.

At the end of last season, Keenan felt the Panthers didn't have an established enough presence to earn the respect of the officials. That could make Odelein, a captain for two years in Columbus, the front-runner.

Keenan has been pleased with the play of Odelein, who has been paired with Jay Bouwmeester in practice.

"He's going to have [a presence] regardless of if he has a `C' or `A' or anything on his chest," Keenan said. "He's respected in the league. That's the type of player you have to have regardless of whom the captain is.

"He's played well, which is very important, and he has the credibility with his teammates."

After the Panthers' 7-4 preseason loss Saturday in Colorado, Odelein, one day after he joined the team, was the only non-dressed Panthers player to be standing under the tunnel reassuring his teammates as they walked into the locker room.

"He was letting everybody know they played a good game," Keenan said. "The kids were down a bit, and he was there to tell them not to worry about it. It's the first thing I saw as I came off the ice."

Jokinen is coming off a career-high 36 goals and 65 points and became the team spokesman on the ice with referees and off the ice with reporters.

"By the way he's played, he looks like he's more ready than he was a year ago," Keenan said. "You see that maturity, and I think he's gotten to the point where he'd like the responsibility."

WESTWARD HO

The Panthers will practice this morning in San Antonio before 20 players fly to Anaheim for Friday night's exhibition game.

Most the forwards in the game will be those on the bubble, such as Nathan Horton, Anthony Stewart, Stephen Weiss, Byron Ritchie, Niklas Hagman, Ivan Novoseltsev and Jaroslav Bednar. Juraj Kolnik took his demotion to San Antonio so well that Keenan will give him another chance to shine by playing him against the Ducks.

Chris Mason will play the entire game in goal. Pavel Trnka is out with a groin injury. The Panthers will return to San Antonio for an intrasquad game Saturday before playing at Tampa on Sunday. ...